Explosion-engine.



PATBNTED 1350.8, 1903,`

W. G. WBATHERHOLT. BXPLOSION'ENGINE. APBLIOATIQZN FILED JUNE 4.31903.

`HQ MODEL.

THE Nonms PETERS no. PMOYOALITHQ. WASHINGTON. D, c.

` UNITED STAT-iis Patented December 8, 1903. y

PATENT OFFCE.

WILLIAM CLARK YVEATHERHOLT, OF COLUMBUS, OHIO.

Ex'PLosioN- sNGlYNi-z.

srlncrsrcamlon'forming page Vor Letters Patent No; 746,212, dated .December 8, 1,903.

i Application filed J une 4,1903. serial No. 160.102. (No niodel.)

To all whom it may concern,.-

Be it. known that LWlLnrnMCLARKWEATH- ERHOLT,'a citizenfof the UnitedStates, residing at Columbus,in the county of Franklin and State of O hio, have invented new and useful vImprovements in Explosion-Engines, of which the following is avspecitication.

This invention relates to ,certain new and useful improvements 'in 'gas or explosion engines of the four-cycle type, thenobject being to provide a reciprocatory cylinder with I Y means for adjusting the same relative to a IiXed piston-head to vary the size of the coinpression-chambers, the cylinder being 'readily separable from the other parts of the engine, sothat access may be had to the piston;

y head, the valves, and igniters, also to provide means for cooling the cylinder and to provide an explosion-motor which is simple and comlay-shaft will make one turn to two turns of.`

the crank-shaft. The dotted' line a, d on the drawings indicates the limit ofthe movement of the cylindertoward the base of the frame, and above the dotted line ct a the frame is cylindrical, its upper end constituting a xed or immovable piston head Og, v Below the cylindrical part of the frame over which the cylinder works the frame may be of any suitable shape; In practice the vframe and piston are hollow, such combined frame and piston having ways c c, which are connected to- The ways at the the inlet and exhaust pipes. face of the piston-head are enlarged to provide valve-seats for the inlet and exhaust valves The piston-head has therethrough an aperture which is closed by a depending tube d2, which carries the electrodes of the sparker or igniter. One of the electrodes is passed Vthrough a plug which is connected by a wire A able cylinder.

to a coil, and the other terminal is inelectric vcommunicati'on with the tube and motor or engine frame, a cam or contact-point on the lay-shaft B -making and breaking the circuit as'it engages or disengages a plate d3,which is insulated froin the 'engine-frame and con-V nected to the battery, the circuit being made when the contact-point on the lay-shaft wipes the plate d3. Any suitable type of igniter can be readily applied to the engine.

The frame having the fixed piston-head `is hollow and in line with the center of the valve-seats has guidewaysfor Valve-stems e e', the Valves d d thereon beingr held on their seats by springsv which encircle thestems and engage4 at one end'offsets on the frame and at the other end nuts, which are" adjustably att-ached to the'ste'ms. The ends of the steinsbey'ond the nuts pass through andare guided by apertured lugs fffabove arms D D', which are pivotedto the frame, and when the arms are raised by the cams on the lay-shaft the valves will be raised ol of their seats. The cams andthe contact-point on the lay-shaft may be carried bysleeves, so f that their position may' be varied when de sired to change the time of ignition of the charge and the time' of opening the valves.

The reciprocating cylinder E is exterior/ly provided with heat-radiating ribs,rand one end of the cylinder has a screw-threaded porton,with which engages an internally-threaded ring or band E', from which project wristpins F F, over whichv are placed theupper ends of connecting-rods G G, the lower ends engaging the cranks of the crankshaft.` The connecting-rods hold the cylinder-connecting band or ring in alinement with the cranks, and when the ring and cylinder are threaded the cylinder can be turned to increase or diminish the size of the explosion-chamber, or the cylinder may be entirely removedl from the piston-head, so that access caribe had to the valves, igniters, and packing-rings ofthe ring E is attached to thelower end of the mov- It it is desired to provide an engine which will occupy but little space'vertically, the ways o c' and the pipes may be very nearthe base of the frame, and the cy.

9ov 'Y `piston-head. In thetype of engine shown the lindrical portion of the frame will commence near the base, the height of the frame being shortened. When the combined piston and frame are so constructed, the cylinder may have near its upper portion a threaded boss or ring, with which the band E will engage, the diameter of the ring being such as to permit the cylinder being passed through the Same in attaching or removing the cylinder from the piston -head. By shortening the frame and attaching the connecting-rods adjacent to the closed end of the cylinder, the ways extending the entire length ot' the frame and being connected to the pipes adjacent to the bed-plate, an engine of the same power will be provided, and the height from the bedplate need be bntlittle more than the length of the cylinder.

The invention shown may be applied to multiplecylinder engines, and, if desired, the cylinder and piston may be incased by a finewire screen G to keep dust and foreign substances from the surface over which the cylinder moves.

The construction shown provides means whereby the speed or power of the engine or motore-an be varied by changing the position of the band on the cylinder, such change of position varying the capacity of the eXplosion-chamber and the degree of compression of the charge. I do not limit myself to the particular construction shown for connecting the band and wrist-pins to the cylinder, for instead of screw-threads I may use bolts or other mechanical equivalents.

Having thus set forth my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. In an explosion-engine, a rigid or fixed piston-head, a crank-shaft, a band having wrist-pins, connecting-rods in engagement with the crank-shaft and wrist-pins and a reciprocating cylinder whichy is movable over the piston-head and is adjustably and removably connected to the band.

2. In an explosion-engine, the combination of a frame havinga stationary piston-head, a crank-shaft, a cylinder in reciprocatory engagement with the piston-head, a band connected to the crank-shaft, and means for ad justably connecting the cylinder to the band.

3. An explosion-engine comprising a hollow engine-frame and a piston-head'integral therewith, ports through the frame and pisv ton-head, valves for the port-s, valve-operating mechanism, a crank shaft, a cylinder closed at one end and externally threaded at the other end, an internally-threaded band having wrist-pins, connecting-rods, a crankshaft to which the connecting-rods are attached at one end, the other ends of the connecting-rods being attached to the wrist-pins, substantially as shown, so that it may be adjusted to vary the size of the compressionchamber.

4. In an explosion-engine, a xed frame having integral therewith a piston -head, a cylinder in reciprocatory engagement with the piston-head, a crank-shaft, connectingrods, and an internally-threaded band with which the threaded end of the cylinder engages, wrist-pins on the band, and rods connecting the wrist-pins tothe cranks of ashaft, substantially as shown.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two subscribing Witnesses.

WILLIAM C LA RK WEA'IHERIIOLT.

Witnesses:

J. C. SHERWooD, JAS. H. SCHRIVER. 

